Delayed results drive fretful students to flood helplines

By Niranjan Medhekar |Posted 17-Jun-2014

With the state board results having been delayed, anxious students, as well as their parents, are turning to board helplines with a host of queries and the options they can exercise if they haven’t fared well

After many false alarms and a long, anxiety-fuelling wait, the D-Day for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) students is finally here. But, the 24 hours leading up to today were wracked by nervousness for students, as was evidenced by the board’s city helpline which kept buzzing all day long.

The cell phones of counsellors appointed by the Pune divisional board flooded with calls of edgy students and their even-more-apprehensive parents. “Students are really frustrated as the result has been delayed inordinately, compared to last year. So, till a couple of days back, I was answering questions on why the board is putting off announcing the results like never before,” said B D Garud, a psychology professor in Abasaheb Garware College, who is working as one of the counsellors.

Worked up: The cell phones of counsellors appointed by the Pune divisional board were flooded with calls of edgy students and their even-more-apprehensive parents. Representation pic

He explained how this frustration converted to anxiety and tension on Monday, when he alone received as many as 80 calls from worried students. “This last moment wait for the result has mounted the tension in many students. The most common queries are: “What if I scored less marks or failed in exam”; “ATKT rule is for how many subjects”; “My parents would not spare me if I have not performed well,” and the list can be unending,” Garud said.

Incidentally, parents are no better at warding off this performance anxiety. Garud is receiving several calls from parents with taut nerves. In fact, he suggested that the state board should arrange separate workshops to calm them down.

Take it easy, folks “The parents are so much involved in the outcome of results that in many cases, rather than students, they themselves become panicked, believing that this one result would make or mar the future of their children. This burden of expectations automatically raises the tension of students. Hence, I have already requested the board to arrange special seminars for parents first,” Garud added.

“The helpline is getting a good response. The facility will remain available for students till June 23. As all the counsellors are professionals, they are efficiently handling the various cases,” Pushpalata Pawar, secretary of Pune division of state board, said. Sameer Pandit, who is waiting for his son Shreyas’ result, said, “Yes, he is quite tensed today. My wife told me that he was quiet the whole day. But, from my side, I assured him that he would get full freedom to pick a career of his choice, without any compulsion from me.”

Shreyas, who was initially hesitating to share his feelings, said, “The exam was good for me. But, at this moment, I am anxious. I want to pursue the commerce stream and I have even shortlisted three top colleges of my preference. I myself have not called on the board helpline numbers, but I heard experiences of some of my friends who called up.”

Common concerns counsellors heard>> What if I scored less marks or failed in exam?>> How many subjects does the ATKT rule apply to?>> My parents would not spare me if I performed poorly.

Lack of awareness in rural areas

D M Bangar, psychology professor at New Arts Commerce College in Ahmadnagar and a counsellor who is receiving calls from his district, which falls under Pune division, said, “Here, in the rural area, many students are still not aware about facilities started in recent years, like getting photocopies of answer sheets, or applying for re-evaluation. I remember one student calling me up, saying that he had no future, as he was sure he would fail in one or two subjects. When I informed him the option of ATKT under which he could take admission in Std XI even if he failed in two subjects, he was amazed. He was simply unaware of this provision introduced by the board a couple of years ago, through which he could save his academic year.”